Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Please Remember Me ❯ You Can Still Be Free ( Chapter 3 )

Please Remember Me chapter 3

You Can Still Be Free

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: I know its been awhile since I last updated, but I'd like to thank the 6 people who reviewed this fic. 'You Can Still Be Free' is the name of a Savage Garden song off of their Affirmation CD. Now that thats out of the way... on with the story. This time its Kyo's POV.

WARNING: Kyo's slightly OOC towards the end

Chapter 3

The sun peaked over the horizon, but it didn't matter to me. I'd been up for hours. I didn't think anyone could sleep last night. It was a year ago last night when Yuki's screaming woke us up. I still can't believe its been a year... Yuki used to blame me for her death, and I guess in away, I did. I had the feeling things weren't going right, and yet, I kept yelling at Tohru. I couldn't help it. Like I've said before, I'm just not meant to get along with people. Besides, I knew a lot had happened to her in the months prior to her death. I only know about them because I tried to stop them. I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone.

I walked slowly towards the cemetary, recalling the first time I went to this cemetary, with her and the nezumi. It was on the one year anniversary of her mother's death. I sighed and glanced up at the sky and recalled how goofy her smile always was. I hated myself for not realizing what she might be going through or what she would do.

As I turned the corner, I heard yelling just before I saw Yuki yelling at Uotani. Just next to the Yankee was the psychic freak. It was rare that the nezumi ever spoke, and even rarer for him to be yelling. I walked up to them, but didn't say anything.

"You have no right to be at her grave!" Yuki was shouting. "You didn't do anything to help her! You abandoned her when she needed you the most! How dare you even think of calling yourself her friend! Tohru-chan died because she thought no one loved her!"

"Shut up, you sonofabitch! I didn't see you helping her! I didn't know she needed help. I swear--!"

"I knew." The usually monotonous voice that belonged to Hanajima was choked by a sob. "I could sense that her waves were in danger two months before she died."

"And yet, you did nothing." I spoke for the first time. "You knew and you didn't say or do anything?" I knew I shouldn't have said that. I knew she was in trouble, too, but I didn't do anything. Except what she asked me to do, and keep it a secret.

"Shut up, Orange-top!" The Yankee yelled at me, nearly getting in my face.

"You shut up, Bitch!" I yelled back.

"Don't call me a bitch!"

"You're a bitch because you're defending a girl who may have just kept Tohru alive!" I yelled. "You know what? She's a bitch too, for not doing anything!"

The Yankee was about to say something when Hanajima ran off crying. "Hana?" the Yank called after the black-clad girl. She turned back to me. "You're a lousy, good for nothing, sonofabitch!" She growled and ran off after Hanajima.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead, not looking at my cousin. I could feel him looking at me.

"Kyo?" He spoke up after a moment. I just looked at him, to let him know I was listening. "Umm, arigato."

"Nani?" I asked as we continued for the cemetary.

"I didn't think I could take much more of Tohru-chan's so-called friends." He said as we walked through the temple and toward her grave. "Everyday at school, or whenever I happened to see them, they, more specifically, Uotani-san, they blame us for Tohru-chan's death."

We cleaned her grave in silence, then quitely prayed. 'Tohru? I hope you can hear me, just for a minute. Put the nezumi on hold for a long second, onegai. I know I promised to keep your secret, but I can't. Gomenasai, but at least let me tell Shigure and Yuki. I know I should have told them from the beginning, but you made me promise not to. You said you didn't want them to worry. I can't help thinking that it was that event that led you to commit suicide. Onegai, gomenasai, but I have to tell.'

I opened my eyes and saw that the nezumi was watching me. "You ok, Kyo?"

I nodded. "Come on. Let's go home. Its cold out and there's something I need to tell you and the inu."

We walked in silence back towards the house. We kicked off our shoes in the entrance hall and shouted, "Tadaima!" I walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks. Standing there, wearing Tohru's apron was Kagura. She looked at me and gave me a half smile. "Welcome home, Kyo and Yuki."

Just then I felt arms wrap around my waist. I glanced down and saw Kisa. According to Hatori, Kisa had locked her words away again after Tohru died and they're still locked away. Hatori says its because of how much the onigiri meant to her.

*~*~*~*~FLASHBACK*~*~*~Day After Tohru Died*~*~*

"We all take grief in our own ways," Hatori said from his seat at the table. His voice sounded like it was trying to be normal but at times it sounded strained. "Kisa's chosen to lock her words away again. It may be longer before she speaks again this time."

*~*~*~*~PRESENT*~*~*~*~*~

"What are you all doing just standing around here?" Shigure's voice spoke up behind us. He had lost all the humor in him, or so it seemed. He tries to revert back to his old self, but it isn't the same anymore. Behind him was Ayame. He walked over to Yuki and placed his arm across the nezumi's shoulders and that was all.

Yuki sighed and shrugged off the hebi's arm. "Kyo? What did you want to tell us? You mentioned that you needed to tell us something."

I sighed and sat at the table, the others followed suit. "How do I start?" I wondered out loud before sighing again. I looked at the nezumi. "Do you remember how, up until six months ago, you said it was my fault Tohru died?" He nodded and I continued. "Well, I guess, in away, it was true. Because of a promise she made me and Hatori keep." I saw Yuki start to stand up, but Ayame pulled him back down.

Yuki glared at him, but the hebi ignored it. "What was the promise, Kyo?" Ayame asked.

"Two months before she died, I went to go pick her up from work. I went because Yuki had a lot do to that night so he couldn't pick her up. I got there a little late and she had already left, so I turned around and started to head back, hoping to catch up with her, but just as I passes the school, I heard someone scream my name from inside the school yard. I went in search of who was calling for me. I found her." I paused to take a deep breath, then continued. "She was being attacked by three or four guys. They had finished raping her and it looked like they were about to kill her. I fought them off and picked her up carefully so I didn't transform. She passed out as we left the school ground. I carried her to Hatori's. She was still out when we got there. Hatori checked her over and said that there wasn't a lot of physical damage to her, a bruised face and bruises between her legs. However, there was a lot of emotional damage to her mind.

He wanted her to stay there overnight so I came up with the story on how she wanted to stay at Hanajima's for the night. Tohru called to me and Hatori and asked us not to tell anyone what had happened. She said she didn't want anyone to worry about her. That she'll be fine. I didn't really want to keep it a secret, but I felt it was the least I could do." I took a deep breath. I had been staring at a spot on the table right in front of me for the last half of the story. I looked up at the nezumi. His eyes were wide and there were tears streaming from them. I was surprised. He never cried in front of anyone. "Gomenasai." I said, I could feel a lump building in my throat. I tried to swallow to make it go down but it didn't. My eyes were beginning to sting. "Gomenasai. It really was my fault she died." I felt a tear slip down my face and I quickly wiped it away. It was soon replaced by another one.

"She's done so much for us and I couldn't pick her up on time." I said around a sob. I felt the inu put a hand on my back. "Gomenasai. I knew I should have told someone, but I made a promise. After all she's done and all she's been through, it was the least I could do. I wanted to tell you all right after she died, but I couldn't bring my self to say anything about it."

Yuki got up and walked upstairs. I could see Ayame debating whether to go after him or not.

I buried my face in my arms. I felt Kagura put her arms around me and pull me to her. I cried in her arms. "I couldn't protect her." I heard Kagura trying to console me. I was vaguely aware of Ayame leaving the room.

nezumi=rat

gomenasai=I'm sorry

onegai=please

inu=dog

tadaima=I'm home!

onigiri=rice ball

hebi=snake

From one of the other chapters

Koishii=lover